Since 1986, cyclists from around the world have been flocking to Colorado in the summer to see the state from their saddle for The Denver Post Ride The Rockies Colorado Bicycle Tour.

For the inaugural ride, more than 1,500 riders came from around the country to participate in the six day, cross-state tour. In 1987, the registration limit was raised to 2,000 cyclists, and by 1989 the lottery registration system that is now in place was implemented. Last year the tour received more than 4,000 applications.

This June, for the first time since 1993, the ride will return to the Choice City.

Odell Brewing Co. will serve as the finish line for the six-day, 442-mile ride.

The terrain includes some of Colorado's finest, including five mountain passes, two national parks and 24,937 vertical feet of elevation gain.

Those brave enough to tackle the ride come from all walks of life, from veteran riders to retirees taking the trek for the first time.

The Riders

If you are pedaling up Horsetooth Reservoir and hear some barking, odds are it's not a pack of wild dogs but the Wheel Dogs, a group of RTR cyclists, in training.

Michael Sieg, 56, of Fort Collins, is a Wheel Dog member and 5-time RTR participant. His gang, named after the two sled dogs that are directly in front of a sled and normally slower than the rest of the pack, is renowned on the tour for their signature sound.

“We have a distinctive bark we do on the ride,” he said.

For Sieg, RTR has been one of the best experiences of his life. In the five years he has been riding, Sieg has seen a number of Colorado small towns that he would have never otherwise taken the time to visit.

This year, with Fort Collins as the finish, Sieg is looking forward to the route, especially Rocky Mountain National Park, which he has never ridden before.

The Sled Dogs are training for the ride with three 30-mile rides a week early in the morning over Horsetooth reservoir. On the weekends, they will extend those rides to places such as Rist Canyon.

“A week riding in the high country with happy people is just a blast,” Sieg said.Wynne Odell, co-owner of Odell Brewing Co., is not only sponsoring the ride and hosting the finish line party, she is riding it as well.

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Odell rode it last year for the first time and said that, as an avid road cyclist since age 12, it is a huge event that showcases Colorado.

“It’s a great ride. Each night, they create a little city with camping and vendors and the food, beer truck,” she said. “You go all day … and in the evening you can join in with the party. It is very relaxing.”

Not everyone has experience on their side.

Last year, 65-year-old Richard Handler retired from his position as a physician in New York and moved to Evergreen.

Over drinks, he learned about RTR and decided to sign up for the first time this year. While registering for the tour, Handler joined the tour as a volunteer riding medic. Handler is one of 50 medics who will be dispersed throughout the field of riders ready to offer medical assistance or radio for backup.

Handler said they will be identifiable on the tour by a specially marked helmet and a first aid pack they will carry.

As for the ride itself, Handler is confident in his abilities.

“It’s a personal challenge with the amount of riding and hill climbing,” he said. “I’m confident that I’ll survive it just fine.”

Mike Bennett, 31, of Loveland, is another first-time rider confident in his ability to finish, but he is unsure how to prepare.

An avid road cyclist who often commutes to work on his bike, Bennett bought a new Trek 520 road bike to get into touring and help provide some incentive for RTR.

“Last year, I was looking for bike rides and came across Ride the Rockies and thought it looked cool and thought, ‘I could never do that,’ ” he said. “I started riding. I thought I could never do it, and now it’s a confidence thing.”

Bennett is now checking 60-mile rides off his list.

“I feel pretty confident about the ride; what I am not as confident is that I know what to bring,” he said.

The Logistics

For 2,000 cyclists to ride across the state during the course of a week, a lot of behind-the-scenes work has to come together to ensure a smooth ride.

Volunteers staff ride stations that are placed along the route. The stations are placed every 12 miles or so and provide riders with food and drinks to keep them moving forward.

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There are two ambulances, four radio support vehicles, eight motorcycle state troopers and 50 riding medics that travel each leg of the ride to ensure everyone stays safe.

Sieg can attest to the speed of the tour’s medical team. He said that, in 2010, one of his friends’ front forks snapped on his bicycle, causing a crash. Medical assistance was on scene in minutes, and moments later his friend was rushed to the hospital. “I think they do a great job of supporting the ride,” he said.

There also are support and gear, or SAG, wagons that tail the ride along with a “meet” wagon that peels spent riders off the road and shuttles them to the finish line for that day.

RTR buses transport riders’ overnight bags from town to town so that their tent and clothes are waiting for them when they arrive each afternoon.

While supporting the riders on the road takes some work, the real trick is accommodating their needs once they all stop for a night in a small rural mountain town.

Riders are provided a few options once they get into town for the night. Some opt for hotel rooms, but there are not enough to accommodate all the riders. Many camp.

Food vendors follow the tour and set up in each town as RTR provides an entertainment area where people can listen to live music and enjoy Odell’s brew. Towns stand to benefit from the ride just as much as the riders.

The event generates more than $1.5 million in tourism business in Colorado. Jim Clark, Fort Collins Convention & Visitors Bureau executive director, estimates $100,000 of that will land in Fort Collins.

In addition to money generated by visitors, The Denver Post Community Foundation, which raises and distributes money to Colorado nonprofits, invests more than $6 million in local nonprofit organizations and events each year. This year, a $5,000 grant will be awarded to a nonprofit in each host community, including Fort Collins.

“This is an economic shot in the arm for small-town Colorado,” Lisha Burnett of Suncor Energy said at a first-time rider panel April 17 in Denver.